


Event Horizon

by nigellecter



Series: Encounter of Two Hearts [2]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)
Genre: Accidents, Angst and Feels, First Dates, I still have no fucking idea how to tag this, M/M, Vulnerable Nigel, inquisitorial Adam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 22:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4937902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nigellecter/pseuds/nigellecter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to 'Stellar Collision,' dedicated for spacedogs week.<br/>Nigel and Adam's first date turns into something else entirely.<br/>Unedited, unbeta'ed. Mistakes are all my own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Event Horizon

Nigel had given his cell member to Adam and he had texted the older man first. Adam wasn’t the type to contact anyone first, albeit the opportunity presents, but he had registered that Nigel had been a broken man who needed a fix, while he himself had been gravitated towards the man's dualistic nature. Through the rough and crude demeanor, he was after all, vulnerable, emotional and a wounded animal who needed a stability. All Adam wanted was to have someone who he could trust and rely on, as he did not have many at his work. Although he had been getting along with his co-workers better as he got used to interacting with people, the date had proved that he needed Nigel in his life.

 

As usual, Adam’s life revolves around his set routine. Getting up around seven in the morning, he goes to work at the planetarium starting at eight to five. With a break for lunch for an hour between noon and one pm. He usually eats his lunch alone or with only one or two co-workers, most of the time bringing takeout food or his mac and cheese lunch box to his work station, working on the powerpoint or preparing the teaching material if he had presentation to do in front of the crowd. After two hours of lecture on Black Hole, his boss lets him take off early, knowing that how much effort Adam puts into preparing for a lecture. He has another same one to give the next day.

 

Having been living his dauntless and risky life as always, Nigel still remembers the day he had tried to take his own life and Adam had been noncommittal, until Nigel had promised to court him as best as he can. The younger man had been an angel, although he didn’t believe in celestial life outside of the earth, Nigel was absolutely positively sure that that's what he was. Still remembering the kiss with the younger man from the day before, Nigel's afternoon had been busy. Picking a casual sandwich place that was one of his hangout place, he was sure that Adam would at least enjoy the solitude and quietness of the place. Seeing that the younger man was immersed in his own interests and having noticed the drastic change in Adam's expression when he had talked about the stars and space, he knew that had to be the topic of conversation.

 

Maybe he'll ask Adam about his constellation. Sagittarius and Adam's, Gemini. Then the black hole. He was still struggling with the idea of committing suicide as he continued to dream about it, although Adam had been the sole reason why he didn't commit the act. _If he just knew how he had felt about the man...._ Just like how he had instantly fell in love with his darling Gabi with the cello music that healed him.

 

"Hm, maybe I'll wear this for tonight." He wasn’t for coordinating his outfit for the day, but he wanted to look nice, yet casual enough. Setting a pair of somewhat faded and slim jeans that hugged his narrow hips and throwing on tight fitting black shirt that doesn't do anything to hide his bulging biceps, his keys jingle inside his hand as he shoves a half-smoked pack of cigarettes and his worn wallet.

 

Adam was in his usual thin sweater, as the older man had suggested, had decided to wear something more substantial. He takes his portable telescope, much lighter than the one he had when he met Nigel. He couldn't forget the face of the older man when he had handed Nigel his cell. All the happiness contained in those expressive eyes. He didn’t even have to ask for Nigel’s intention when the man had first looked into his eyes. Those sorrow inside the flecks of green that bore the moonlight. The lazy lift of his eyes as his ashen locks blew in the early fall breeze. He had heard elephants look for their dying place when their time comes, except Nigel looked like a wounded predator that was looking to end his life by a stampede of the animals that he hunted. Not that he wanted the ‘real date’ with Nigel out of making the other man happy, he wanted to search for his own happiness, as he saw it through Nigel’s eyes when the older man kissed him. He had to admit, the kiss was nothing but electrifying.

 

Putting on Nigel’s leather jacket which still is permeated with faint scent of cigarettes and whiskey, he finds a half-smoked pack and a lighter inside. Fumbling with the smoke as his fingertips run along the top of the open pack, he waits with a noncommittal expression, just like he had been when he told Nigel that he should go back to his flat. His mind is far from being that, though. He wonders what kind of date it’d be with a man like Nigel, who seemed so out of the ordinary, but his feels were so unrestrained and uncaged, a lot more than ordinary people.

 

Nigel had taken more time in getting ready for the date. A pretty good chunk of the portion goes to taking a thorough shower, basking in the scent of musky sandalwood as it had been his brother’s gift to him. A fucking expensive as hell bottle of body wash and a bar of soap adds a dimension of scent on top of his natural heady scent. Letting his blow drier do its work as he naturally leaves the hair falling onto his forehead, he didn’t even notice his favorite leather jacket missing until he realizes Adam had it. Putting on another one of his favorite, a dark navy one that he actually managed to care for, less worn-out than the previous dark brown one, he quickly gets ready as he descends the stairs.

 

Buying a pack of smoke and a lighter from the convenience store, he quickly turns on the ignition to take off, the roaring of the engine more intense as his chest lifts with enthusiasm. He stops by the flower shop to buy a bouquet of red roses. He wasn't in it for sheer romanticizing gesture, but it seemed befitting. It was a date, after all, their first official one.

 

Adam is already there in his leather jacket with a small telescope packed into a duffle bag. Nigel immediately notices. "You're wearing my jacket and didn't bring your own." The corner of his lips tug as he beams, a wide grin plasters on his face. "I may have, where are you going to take me, Nigel?" Adam casually asks, glancing at the man's shoulder and down to the murky water underneath. The sun had just begun to set and the sky paints with shades of red and orange. Adam's blue eyes stands much brighter with the contrasting color. Nigel's hazel intensifies, his orbs almost seems to absorb the warm tones.

 

"I was going to take you to a sandwich shop. I fucking love anything grilled sandwiches. They have fucking killer panini you'd enjoy." Handing Adam his own helmet, Nigel beams a smile.

 

Adam wonders if the older man gave him his only helmet and doesn't even have to ask the other to confirm. Nigel merely ignites the engine and turns around to check the other man's visor, like he did the day before.

 

"You don't have to do that, you know. Do you always check on people like that?" Adam stretches his neck and puts down the visor. The plastic fogs up instantly, but clears as fast as it does. “I have my own hands, you know. I am not a child that always has to be looked after.” He means well, wanting to banter with the older man, his tone might suggest otherwise.

 

A small chuckle tugs his lips as he takes his still a bit damp hair. "I fucking gather you already know that. No, I don't give a fucking shit about anyone." Feeling Adam's hands snake around his waist, he unconsciously presses against the younger man's front. Adam’s fingers lacing together, the palms squeeze as Nigel’s abdomen tauts.  

 

"So don't tell me you are going to kidnap or abduct me." Adam awkwardly says as he puts the telescope away inside the compartment and feels the revving engine roar.

 

"After that fucking sandwich shop, then I might." Mischievous smirk upon his lips as he takes off, the drive is quick as he swerves around the traffic with ease as he maneuvers the bike with expert control.

 

"If there is any place I can watch the stars, I'd probably not mind it." Adam challengingly says, getting off the motorcycle quickly as Nigel parks it right in front of the sandwich shop. “Observatories would be the absolute best, b-but they don’t let me have access to their expensive equipments.”

 

“I might have the perfect place for that, I’ll tell you later, but first, to let you have the fucking taste of out-of-this-world grilled sandwiches.” Pulling the metal chairs out on the porch, he beckons Adam to sit before he flops down, immediately lighting a smoke. Nigel doesn’t give a shit about people invading his personal space, unless they are his arch nemesis and he cares even less about other people’s personal space, unless they are utterly uncomfortable by it. He remains close enough, but not too far away that if he wanted to touch the other man, he could easily reach for him.

 

“I have no idea why, but I don’t like the smell of smoke. It didn’t smell that repulsive on your jacket though.” Adam takes off Nigel’s jacket once he sits down, handing the taller man his belonging.

 

“I might just let you keep it, so I can keep going out with you.” As the waitress brings the menu, he chuckles and takes a deep drag. Nodding as thanks as the waitress pours them each glass of water, Nigel goes through the menu and points to some of the things he had at the place.

 

“I’ve had chipotle chicken, pesto chicken, philly steak and cheese and mac and cheese toast. Those were all so fucking good.” He wonders if he should try any new ones he hasn't tried or just stick to the ones he had before. Adam’s eyes glint up at the word ‘mac and cheese.’

 

“I’ll definitely try the mac and cheese toast, grilled. That sounds really good, actually.” Adam’s favorite dish was mac and cheese and as a routine, he had it at least four or five times a week. “I always eat mac and cheese, that must be my favorite dish. I could probably eat those for rest of my life.”  

 

 _I could probably love you for the rest of my life._ Nigel muses as he decides to be adventurous and try out buffalo chicken and mozzarella panini. As he had spicy palate, he figured he'd like it with a bit of French fries with mayonnaise on the side.

 

As Nigel flags for the waitress, Adam orders the mac and cheese grilled sandwich with regular French fries and Nigel the said spicy selection. "So you've told me that your constellation was Gemini? What can you tell me about that?"

 

“Yeah, it’s the symbol of twins. You can see the constellation with unaided eyes. I’ll help you find it once the sky gets darker. Pollux and Castor are the brightest stars, so once you find the Orion’s belt and connect three stars along with those two, the V-shaped constellation is easy to find.” Of course, Adam’s blue eyes glint up as his omniscience knowledge of space flows out so naturally. And I’ll help you find yours, too. He ponders.   

 

“I am still fucking blown off my goddamn mind of how you can manage to memorize all the fucking stuff about space. I mean, I don’t find it uninteresting, but still, partaking of gaining knowledge about it seems as vast as the fucking space itself.” Lackadaisical, he calls out for a waitress, who passes between the other tables and orders what he calls ‘strong and bitter as fuck’ cup or coffee, jumbo size.

 

“I am going to return the courtesy and say the same thing - none of your business, but my best answer would be I had an strong interest since when I went to a space-themed party years ago when I was a child. I still have the replica of the spaceman suit I customly made at my house.”

 

Adam takes a long sip of the iced water, the beads of cold water clinging onto his warm hand. “Maybe I’ll show you the next time we meet, or ‘date.’” He rather says challengingly, he wants Nigel to impress him.

 

“I just might have the perfect place to take you if our ‘dates’ increases in numbers.” He had googled the first planetarium in the States and there was one located in Chicago. A plane trip would be nice, but road trip during the upcoming spring wouldn’t be too bad either. Adler Planetarium, that was the name and the exterior of the building was impressive, with someone like him who knows nothing about architecture. An observatory to look at all the goddamn fucking stars the younger man wants and perhaps the 3D theaters they have will possibly entertain him.

 

“Where would you take me if I asked you to a third date?” Adam asks as the waitress brings their sandwiches. The fragrant aroma of their melted cheese and spiciness permeates the air as they both take sniffs as if promised. “Smells out of this fucking world. Let’s dig in. I’m sure as enervated you fucking look, I’d have to fatten you up with more food.” Nigel grins as he takes a hefty bite.

 

Adam’s bites are nibbles compared to Nigel, and soon, the grilled panini and french fries drenched with mayonnaise quickly disappears as he ravenously devours the food.

 

“You eat like a fucking kid. Take big bites, at this fucking rate, we aren’t gonna watch the full moon. I want to see that goddamn rabbits again.”

 

“Then we should go to that spot… W-where you kissed me.” Adam’s face immediately reddens, as if crimson drops of paint had soaked the watercolor paper. Tinting the background. I really liked that kiss. He wants to add, but he merely flashes a smile before digging into the mac and cheese toast with a bigger bite. “That spot was just divine. Quiet, serene, no hinderance of other light sources.”

 

Lips curving upward as his cheeks stretch, Nigel gulps down his water and calls to bring him a glass of draft beer. “You want anything, gorgeous?” He adds, looking straight into Adam’s eyes.

 

Adam lifts his bright blue orbs, glances at the older man’s intense hazel before diverting his gaze somewhere between the man and the waitress, gazing into the shoulder. “Um, I’ll take a small carton of milk, if you have that. Or glass… Doesn’t matter.”

 

The waitress is quick on feet, as she brings Nigel’s beer and Adam’s milk. Both drinks it down in short burst of quick chugs, throats being parched. Adam wants that soft and gentle kiss, Nigel wants more. Not necessarily lovemaking, but something else that would propel their slightly awkward relationship. Adam had been challenging, but now, he doesn’t know what his intentions are.

 

“Do you ever cook? Although you don’t look the type, maybe you can help me make some of those sandwiches at home. We can make tons and…. Feed them to each other. That-that’s something I wanted to do when I ever get into any relationship.” He had wanted it with Beth, his neighbor he had seen every single day at his apartment.   

 

“All I can fucking cook is fucking mac and cheese and grilled sandwiches. Fucking serendipitous that your favorite food is a mix of those two. I can manage to crank them up without burning down the fucking stove.” Nigel’s lips grope the brim of the glass as the white foam circles around his full lips. Slurping it down, he quickly finishes and puts the glass with a clank.

 

“I can’t finish all of this. They’re two huge sandwiches and as you can see - I am not as big or tall as you or have the big appetite for my small stomach.” Adam lifts one of the sandwich he had only finished half of, and gives it to Nigel to finish. “I think I can manage to stomach french fries, at least.”

 

Nigel tilts his head and finishes the half of the sandwich, a nice blend of saltiness and savory taste, at least, just like how he had imagined. “You don’t seem to be quite expressive when it comes to fucking food. Anything else you like besides mac and cheese?”

 

“I think I’m past that excitement, it’s all I eat. Perhaps I could vary what I eat, but I like to function on a set routine. You could say that mac and cheese is the way to get to my heart. I remember my mother cooking it for me all the time when I was young and… I haven’t found anything close to how my mother makes it.”

 

 _This comes close to it, the right amount of cheddar with butter._ Adam appreciates that the older man is trying. Behind the harsh words, there is definitely a romantic guy hiding beneath the rough exterior.

 

The sky begins to darken as the streetlight lights up to shine upon them. “I was thinking we could go to somewhere that we can look at the stars.” Adam says as he dabs his mouth with the napkin, eating few more pieces of french fries and takes a small sip of his water.

 

“Perhaps we can go to that fucking place where we kissed. We didn’t get to look at the stars there.” Pushing the chair off, he gets up and takes Adam’s hand.

 

Adam for once, doesn’t retract from Nigel’s touch. The man’s hand is calloused, rough like him. He now knows he means no harm when it comes to him. Probably considers him a savior. He is almost glad that it was him that had been on that bridge the day before. Maybe with Nigel, he could become friends from strangers, then maybe the best friend, as his only one had left him months ago. Maybe, just maybe there will be a day when he can call the older man a lover.

 

As drastically different they were, they shared one crucial thing. They both needed love in their lives and they were desperate. But Adam wouldn’t let that desperateness get to him.

 

“I’d actually like that.” _And I wouldn’t mind if you kissed me like that again._ Adam thinks. He was all for bringing out the sweeter side of the man who he was sure did a lot of dangerous things, or still doing those, whatever he did for a living. He had noticed the man’s scars around his nose and head, the distinctive gunshot wound on Nigel’s forehead, smack dab in the center.

 

Adam pushes the lingering thought away, perhaps for another time. He can still sense the faint sorrowfulness radiating off the man’s aura. Along with permeated scent of whiskey and cigarettes. Strange enough, he hated both smells and cringed his nose at the pungent odor, but with Nigel, he could tolerate it better than with anyone else. Putting his cell phone inside the pocket of Nigel’s leather jacket, Adam gingerly folds it to put it into the compartment before waiting for the other to come out.  

 

“Get your fucking ass on there, I’ll only be a few minutes to pay for these.” Grabbing his wallet from his back pocket, he saunters inside the shop to briefly chat and settle. He hands Adam a half piece of blueberry muffin as he equally splits them.

 

“The owner’s nice enough to have recognized me. I said hello behalf of you. He actually took notice of your eager expression when you were eating mac and cheese, despite your words. I could see it too.” A soft smirk curving his pliant lips, he takes a huge bite as he ravenously eats.

 

As the crumbs fall off Adam’s lips as he nibbles in small bites, Nigel laughs and strokes Adam’s hair like he’d do with small puppies. “You fucking are doing that on purpose.”

 

“Doing what?” Adam wipes his lips and finishes eating the muffin, looking over at Nigel’s shoulder as the older man casually leans against the chrome plated body of the motorcycle, while he sits on the backseat.

 

“That, spilling crumb all over my fucking seat. If you were somebody else, my fist would’ve already landed on that motherfucker’s face, but I’m actually quite okay with you doing that.” His gaze flickering between Adam’s lips and his leather seat now covered with crumbles of muffin scattered across, he brushes them off from the seat.

 

“I was gonna do that, but oh well, you are rather impatient man, Nigel.” Adam says as he rubs his hand on the leather, wiping off more pieces of crumbs. Leaning against Nigel’s shoulder, he pecks a briefest kiss and tugs the taller man’s arm. “Take me there and we’ll kiss.” As soon as Nigel gets on the seat, he snakes his arms around the man’s tight and firm waist.

 

“I would fucking love that.” Beaming as he puts the key in ignition and revving up the engine, he turns around to check if Adam’s wearing a helmet.

 

“Already ahead of you, the man with the asymmetrical pin-up girl tattoo.” Adam nudges Nigel’s back and squeezes his waist. “Yes, the man with curls like those curly fries. Now every fucking time I eat those, I’m gonna think of you.” Pushing one of the out of place locks inside the helmet, Nigel closes the visor on the younger man’s helmet and takes off soon after.

 

It’s a good twenty-something-minutes drive to the exact spot and the traffic is heavier than usual, due to the rush hour and the traffic accident on the I-95 making the vehicles to take the detour of what it usually is a remotely quiet driveway. Nigel’s bike swerves easily as he expertly maneuvers. Adam holds on tightly as his chest presses firm against the taller man’s broad back.

 

“Yesterday the traffic wasn’t this bad.” Adam whispers against Nigel’s ear, lifting up the visor as the night wind blows inside the helmet. “No! Not fucking like this. Ugh, I fucking hate this… It used to be much quieter and I can’t fucking speed through. There must be something clogging up the goddamn traffic.” Nigel barks, clearly dissatisfied and disgruntled.

 

Finally, the highway clears up in about half an hour and the traffic moves much more smoothly. Nigel’s bike gracefully drawing an arch as it rounds the curve as he exits to take the driveway along the shoreline, as soon as he hits the speed limit, Adam tightly holds Nigel’s waist as the other man picks up more speed. His eyes clench shut as the engine’s vibration intensifies.

 

The bike smoothly curving the road until he sees a collision in front of him that hadn’t been barred, the gooey fuel of the vehicle makes the wheel of the bike to slip off the road, which sends the bike tumbling and skidding off the asphalted driveway. “Fucking shit…” Nigel mutters as he tries to maneuver the metal heading towards the guardrail and Adam’s bright blue orbs widen as he clings tightly onto the taller man.

 

Rapidly spinning on the ground as the bike crashes into the guardrail, both of their bodies fly off to the dark and murky water underneath. Thankfully, the bike prevents them from crashing onto the metal of the rail and the tree underneath as the bike slams against it first, the chrome-plated body turning into scrap metal as they continue to descend into the cliff.

 

With the tilt of his body, Nigel tightly hugs Adam as he breaks the surface of the water, headfirst as their body sinks, the moment he hits the water, the view becomes a fade to black as he bleeds from the side of his head and from his abdomen, where a metal shard from his bike had pierced his right side. A trickle of blood spilling out from him and rising upward.

 

Adam’s eyes open and sees the older man limp against his arms. His eyes closed shut, his face covered in gashes and cuts, busted lips and a shard sticking out from his forehead. His eyes wide open as their bodies sink, he finds that Nigel had taken most of the damage from the fall as he had turned his body to protect him.

 

Closing his eyes as he sinks further down inside the dim water, Adam feels like he’s sinking into an abyss, a bottomless pit, a black hole. The place which he had dreaded the most, feeling Nigel’s head slack against his shoulder as the man’s ashen hair sways under the water, he tightly holds Nigel’s lean middle. He remembers a tidbit of his lecture on ‘event horizon,’ part of his black hole lecture. A point of no return. Not that he feels that the taller man had tried to protect him from most likely dying from the accident, despite his severe injuries and his suicidal tendencies. He doesn’t believe Nigel merely have thrown himself off like that just to save him.  

 

If Adam had been on the ground, Nigel’s weight would’ve been too heavy. Dragging the taller man with all of his might as he watches the continuous bubbles break the surface of the water, he sees the moonlight rippling against the water as he pants, puffing breathlessly as they slowly make on the rock, just where Nigel’s crashed bike lay.

 

Grabbing Nigel’s collar and wrapping his arm around the unconscious man’s chest,  he removes the helmet and accesses the damage. The side of his helmet is completely crushed. Without the helmet, he would’ve been probably dead.

 

Feeling more responsible and sorry for the man in front of him, he grimaces as he leans against Nigel’s chest,  no heartbeat.

 

Nigel’s head begins to seep blood onto his shirt and the hem rides up to reveal his prominent scar on his left side, a crude stitching still visible. The sunken skin, the distorted edges and the length of it visible on his otherwise unblemished and tanned skin. This is a question that he has to ask for another day, if the other man makes through, that is.

 

After finding the best place to minister it as he lays Nigel onto the flat rock and tilting the other man’s head back, Adam presses his hand firmly against Nigel’s chest as he tries to revive him, as he had learned CPR at his workplace. Knowing how to do it, but not confident in his abilities as he hadn’t ministered it to anyone else, he is still hesitant. With every minute and the chance of people finding them slim, Adam figures that it’s worth a try.

 

“Wake up, Nigel…. Oh my god….”

 

After hundred chest compressions a minute on the man’s chest, his chest lifts fervently as he breathlessly pants, sweat starting to trickle down his head and the curls drip more water onto Nigel and his soaked clothes cling onto him like a heavyweight. A stream of tears fall as the other doesn’t even budge to his desperate attempt to resuscitate him.

 

His cell phone inside the compartment forgotten, he frenetically tries for the second time, giving hundred compressions again. Still no sign. Then, without hesitation, after clearing the airway by tilting his chin and pinching Nigel’s nose shut, his lips lock against Nigel’s, pumping oxygen into the lungs. He sees the man’s chest rise and fall as he continues to blow air. Come on! You made it through the headshot, you can make it with this one.

 

His chest fluttering and rapidly beating, the wind whips through both men. Adam tremors in fear and surge of worry. _What if Nigel doesn’t make it this time like he wanted all this time?_

 

His fingers fumble as he unbuttons the shirt and gives the third try, it’d be best to continue, even if he passes out too from exhaustion.


End file.
